With 35 points, Kevin Durant burns Hornets as Rockets improve to 34-20
· Yahoo Sports
In his first game after an alleged social media “burner” controversy, Kevin Durant made quite a statement in Houston’s 105-101 victory (box score) at Charlotte.
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With Thursday’s victory, the Rockets (34-20) remain at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings, and they are only a half-game back of Denver (35-20) for the No. 3 spot. The Hornets (26-30) are at No. 9 in the East.
Durant finished with 35 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks while making 14-of-20 shots (70.0%) and 2-of-4 from 3-point range (50.0%). The perennial All-Star also made all five of his free throws, including a pair of makes in the final seconds to ice the game.
Other key individual statistics included:
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 15 points, 7 rebounds; 6-of-9 shooting, 2-of-3 on 3-pointers (both 66.7%)
- Alperen Sengun: 13 points, 7 assists, 3 steals; 6-of-16 shooting (37.5%)
- Reed Sheppard: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks; 5-of-12 shooting (41.7%)
- Grant Williams (Hornets): 20 points, 9 rebounds; 7-of-10 shooting (70.0%), 4-of-5 on 3-pointers (80.0%)
Led by strong defense from the likes of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason, Houston limited Hornets guards Brandon Miller and LaMelo Ball to a combined 10-of-36 shooting (27.8%), including just 2-of-18 from 3-point range (11.1%).
Kevin Durant (35 points) speaks, says he believes the key to the Rockets winning this game was the stretch at the end of the second quarter when the team went small (KD, Jabari, DFS, Tari, Amen) pic.twitter.com/vnSmPs50iX
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) February 20, 2026
Collectively, the Rockets had 23 steals and blocks (or “stocks”), while Charlotte had only 10 as a team.
To close out a two-game road trip, Houston’s next game is a nationally televised showdown at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Saturday’s tipoff between the Rockets and Knicks (35-20) is at 7:30 p.m. Central, and the game will be broadcast to a national audience on ABC.
Final: Rockets 105, Hornets 101
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) February 20, 2026
Big-time win on the road for Houston after falling behind by double digits in the 1st half. Kevin Durant finished with 35 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists.
But the biggest stretch of the night came during the first 6 minutes of the 4th when…
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: With 35 points, Kevin Durant burns Hornets as Rockets improve to 34-20